EASTON, Conn. – Police officers and firefighters made up most of the top 20 highest-paid Easton employes in 2012, according to a list released Monday by Carmen Montero, human resources compensation coordinator.

John Salazzo, a police officer, was the town’s top earner at $143,124. Jonathan Arnold, a police sergeant, was second at $126,585.

The list also includes Ed Nagy, public works director, at $114,788 and police chief James Candee at $100,000.

Alfred Doty was the highest-earning firefighter at $82,069. There were six fire fighters on the list.

Other town officials who made the list were Grace Stanczyk, the comptroller, at $80,229. and Bruce Bombero, the deputy director, at $75,249.

Bernadette Baldino, the library director, was also listed at $74,796.

School salaries are paid by the Board of Education and weren’t reported by the town.

Comments (4)

I would take issue with David A's assertion that police in Easton, Redding, and Weston are paid exhorbitantly. To compare their salaries to police in Bridgeport or NYC is disingenuous at best. Perhaps police in those municipalities are not paid ENOUGH for the increased risks they face. We place a high value on the services they provide, but not high enough value on the cost of providing those services, or the risks they face providing them.
I am not a police officer, fire fighter or municipal employee or resident of any of these towns, but we have the same issues in the city where I do live.
Would you feel safer in a town of lower wage Barney Fifes just because your taxes went down a little? The training these civic employees have to go through to provide you with safety don't come cheap. Their job entails a lot more than responding to deer strikes or break ins at Homer's woodshed.Look what came out of the blue at Sandy Hook. That's what they have to be ready for.

People seem to all want first class resources, but don't want to pay for them. Taxes are the price you pay for living in the best country in the world. Look elsewhere for cuts that won't jeopardize you, your family's, or your neighbor's safety or peace of mind.

Let's see all the wages but this does highlight that Redding, Easton, Weston are all paying far too much for officers to patrol our towns. Yes, the job entails risk but is that risk more than the risk of an officer in Bridgeport or other big CT cities, or even NY City where crime is rampant but wages are substantially lower? These figures don't even account for pension and benefits. No wonder towns are struggling. Something has got to give as taxes can't continue to rise each year to pay for this.